Tates



Unirnn TATES 'rnNT rrrcn,

CHARLES J. EAMES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE CARBOA IRON COMPANY, OF SAME PLAGF.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING WROUGHT AND STEELY IRON DIRECT FROM THE ORE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,607, dated May 26, 1885.

Application filed February 27, 1885. (X specimens.)

1T0 aZZ 10700112 it may concern: In carrying out my invention,to avoid these 4 Be it known that I, CHARLES J. EAMES, a several objections, the carbon is employed in citizen of the United States, residing at New the form of friable graphitic masses or lumps, York city, in the State of New York, have ineither artificially prepared-as, for instance, 5 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements a compound of, say, sixty (60) per cent. pul in Processes of Manufacturing "Wrought and verized graphite and forty (40) per cent. pul- Steely Iron Direct from the Ore; and I here-i verized fire-brick,{intermingled thorougly and by declare the following to be a full, clear, and rendered plastic by a carbonaceous adhesive exact description of the same. binder-such as coal or wood tar, molasses, 63 My present method of producing wroughtand the like; or in lieu thereof, where coniron, steely iron, and steel direct from the ore venient,the graphitic carbon of commerce-'* contemplates the use as a deoxidizer and carsuch as is found at Granston, Rhode Island, burizer of graphitic carbon; and it further co n and in other localities, being an impure graphtemplates continuing the process through the ite containing earthy matter and iron in con- 6 5 several stages of deoxidation and carburizasiderable quantities; and which can be ob tion at such temperatures as will avoid either rained cheaplyis employed as it comes from loss of metal or formation of slaggy sponge, the mines, and which, being in small lumps whereby the manufacture of wrought and presenting many angles and being friable, will steely irons and steclis reduced to an economic answer fully. 2a and uniform process. The process in its perfection contemplates Heretofore in the manufacture of iron and the use of, first, a furnace having a sole or steel direct from the ore the most commonlyhearth of this friable graphitic character upuscd deoxidizing and carburizing agent has on whichthechargerests; secondly,acharge of been charcoal, and less frequently plumbago, the ore in its natural condition or as it is mined, The most common process has involved the and devoid of extraneous or added flux, but admixture of the carbonaceous matter and flux having intermingled with it lumps ofgraphitic with the ore and the employment of high temcarbon; and, thirdly, a covering of lumps of peratures, which resulted in the fusion of the graphitic carbon. Theprocess, however, may metal. bepracticed by omitting either thesecond or the 0 \Vherc plumbago has been heretofore em third feature-that isto say, by omitting either ployed, it has been in solid mass, as in the theintermingling of graphitic lumps with the form of slabs for furnace-linings, or in like charge, or by dispensing with the covering of condition for crucibles, the objection to which graphitic lumps-but if the lumps be omitted is that until the metal is molten and the scoria from the charge the process will be more tedi- 8 3 cuts out the solid carbon it has little or no ous, as thecarbonisnotso directlypresented to effect as a deoxidizer or carburizer, and even the ore,whilcifthelump coveringisomitted the then is uncertain and not controllable. In the furnace must be worked more guardedly and only other form in which plumbago has been the temperatures more carefully controlled. generally employed-via, in the pulverized In either case the charge is first subjected to a o 40 state found in com mercc it is drifted by the temperature not exceeding 1,500 Fahrenheit currents in the furnace, clogs the interstices or 2,000 Fahrenheit, or such atemperature as between the ore at points, so as to cause unwill maintain the interior of the furnace at a equal heats and unequal deoxidation and cardull-red heat. This temperatureis maintained burization at different points in the charge. until the ore is deoxidized, which will take 9 5 5 Moreover, a large per cent. of the plumbago from five (5) to seven (7) hours, according to is lost in the slag. Added to these objections the character of the ore. As soon as deoxida are the large amount of charcoal or other form tion is completed and the iron sponge containof soft carbon required and the high price of ing thefree metal inclosed in its earthy matrix plumbago, all of which add materially to the is obtained the heat maybe raised suilicientl y so cost of manufacture, where said forms of carto cause the agglutination of the metallic par bon are used. ticles, and the mass may be balled and conveyed to the blooming apparatus for the manufacture of wrought-iron but if steely" iron or steel is desired the balling and blooming is postponed until a later stage, and the heat is 5 raised slightly, (say 2, 000 Fahrenheit to 2, 500

Fahrenheit, or more, if the nature of the ore de- 'mand it,) and is maintained thereat from three (3) to six (6) or seven (7) hours, according to the degree of carburization required in the IO metal, after which the mass is balled and removed to the blooming apparatus.

The advantages of my process are that the results are certain and controllable and uniform, little or none of the earburizing agent a covering of lumps of graphitic carbon, and; in said case I have also claimed the produc ---tio-n of steelified iron by a like process, when 30 the graphitic lumps were mingled with the charge-and the charge subjected to a high sustained heat; furthermore, in case Serial No. 149,684, filed December 6,1884, I have described" and claimed the production of iron 5 sponge by charging the ore alone upon a friable graphitic hearth, and covering the charge with a layer of lump-graphite and subjecting the charge to a dull-red sustained heat fora short period, the heat being increased and 0 prolonged for the manufacture of wroughtiron. Therefore I do not herein claim any of such subject-matter, as the characteristics of the present case are, first, that the ore without admixture, 011 a friable graphitic hearth, 45 and with a covering of lump graphite, is subjected first toa dull-red and then to a higher sustained heat for the production of a steelified iron passing continuously through the sponge and wrought-iron states; secondly, a

like process involving the admixture of lumps I of lump-graphite, subjecting the chargeto a d'ull'red sustained heat until deoxidation is accomplished, and then to a higher sustained heat for a suitable short period to agglomerate the mass so that the sponge can be balled and removed to the blooming apparatus for the production of wrought-iron, as hereinbefore described, or for a suitable longer period for the production of steel or steelified iron, substantially as described.

2. The process herein described, which consists in charging the ore mingled with lumps of graphitic carbon on a friable graphitic hearth, covering the charge with a layer of graphitic lumps, subjecting the charge thus formed, first, to the action of a dull-red sustained heat until deoxidatiou is accomplished, and then to a higher sustained heat short of the fusing-point of the metal for a suitable short period of time, for the production of wrouglitiron, as hereinbefore described, or for a suitable longer period for the production of steelified iron or steel, as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 27th day of February, 1885.

CHARLES J. EAMES.

\Vitnesses:

F. W. BITTER, Jr., V G. A. TAUBnnsoHirInT. 1 

